In known devices of this kind, the cuff is generally applied to the upper arm of the patient. However, there are also blood pressure measuring devices where the cuff is slid onto a finger (for example, see DE-OS No. 18 17 089 and 28 42 337). Blood pressure measurements can thus be performed with high accuracy when it is ensured that the finger whereto the cuff is applied is situated approximately at the level of the heart during measurement, so that static pressure differences do not have an effect.
The inflation of the cuff is manually performed for some blood pressure measurements; this necessitates some experience in order to ensure that the pressure in the cuff will not be too high or too low. In other blood pressure measuring devices, it is merely necessary for the user to activate a pump which inflates the cuff. Such blood pressure measuring devices, however, are expensive.